152 Key worker homes approved in Southwark with wins for local residents

Southwark’s planning committee this week approved 152 affordable homes reserved for key workers – including for nurses, police officers, and firefighters – whilst also securing some concessions for local residents to mitigate impacts.  

Whilst the bulk of the application process occurred before the local elections, Cllr David Noakes quickly worked with residents to amplify their concerns around daylight and loss of community amenities.  

The scheme will be built near the famous Bermondsey Beer Mile, and will border the Arnold Estate and Lupin Point. Following the planning committee, residents on the estate will now see a range of estate improvements, upgrades to their playground, and retained access to the community centre, amongst other concessions. 

The Liberal Democrats say that resident engagement that is early and meaningful is vital to making sure Southwark can build the affordable homes it needs, and as part of the new Liberal Democrat-Green administration will work to ensure that communities are listened to and their views are incorporated into developments in the future. 

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Councillor for London Bridge and West Bermondsey Cllr David Noakes said: 

“While we all welcome and recognise the benefits of this development in providing a 100% key worker housing it should not be forgotten that there will be negative impacts for the existing residents of the Arnold Estate, Lupin Point and surrounding blocks in regards to the construction phase, the impact on their daylight, sunlight and privacy from a 21 storey tower, the loss of parking spaces and the provision of a community centre half the size of the previous Beormund Centre. 

I was pleased to help residents secure some mitigating conditions in this instance, and I'm looking forward to the changes the new Liberal Democrat-Green administration will make in the future to make residents engagement and consultation easier and more meaningful. We need more homes like these, but we also need existing residents to feel like their concerns and views have been heard." 

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader of Southwark Council and Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Strategic Planning, and Wellbeing, Cllr Victor Chamberlain added:  

"We welcome the delivery of 152 new key worker homes, which will make an important contribution to meeting local housing needs. However, residents were right to expect better engagement during the development of these proposals. While this application was already well advanced when the new administration took office, we worked with Liberal Democrat councillor David Noakes to listen to residents and helped to secure a number of important improvements to the scheme. We are committed to putting meaningful resident engagement at the heart of future developments from the earliest stages."